Method for ornamenting the surface of strip materials



June 6, 1933. G. PRIFOLD METHOD FOR ORNAMENTING THE SURFACE OF STRIP MATERIALS Filed Feb. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TOR n5, F1444. BY

WM 241 W ATTORNEY G. PRIFOLD June 6, 1933.

METHOD FOR ORNAMENTTNG THE SURFACE OF STRIP MATERIALS Filed Feb. 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 INVENTOR BY #04; w 6% ATTORI' IE Patented June 6, 1933 PATENT canes (mam rmroLn, or sonnnvinnnnnw mnsnmnssrenon "ro THE Goran-LAP con:- PANY, or SOMERVILLE, NEW JERSEY, n conronnrron or NEW JERSEY METHOD non canal/marine THE scenes or swim MATERIALS Original application illeulebruary a;

1932, Seria1 No; 591,539. Divided and this application filed December 27; 1932. Serial No. 648,874;

This invention relates to a method for ornamenting the surface of strip materials, and is directed particularly to giving strlp materials used as floor coverings a marblelike appearance. i x I The new method includes theapplication towet paints printed upon strip materialof turnable or rotary brushes so moved that thereis at: all times relative movement betweenthebrushes and the strip material.

or brush marks on; the

This avoids blotches material. i The apparatus for carrying out tion. Serial No. 5915539, filed February 8,

1932, of which this application is a division,

and includes brushing means synchronized with the feeding mechanism of a printing machine. A feature" of the invention consists in providing this device with a brushing attachment readily applicable to a block machine of the type customarily used in printingfloor coverings. This brush attachment is an improvement of that shown in U. S.

Letters Patent No. 1,854,524. issued to me on April 19, 1932.

An illustrative machine embodying the apparatus features of my invention designed to facilitate the carrying out of my new method is illustrated; in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig: 1 isa side elevation partly broken away of a conventional block printing machine showing my brushing attachment ap plied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a top view of a partial transverse sectiontaken on the line L-4 0f Fig. 3; i

Figl'fi isj a top view ofa partial transverse section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. i r

Fig. l shows'a block printing machine of conventional construction such as is disclosed mu. S Letters Patent No. 1 ,854,524; referred to above. 1 It is providedwith a bed 10over this method is the subject ofmyco-pending applica- 'machine.

shown the customary mechanism for causing;

the intermittent movement of the feeding bands 11. This mechanism includes a drum 14 for each band 11,carrying a ratchet 15 which is engaged by a pawl 16 oscillated by ascgmentgear 17 on-a pivoted arm 18 which is lifted and allowed to fall through the engagemcnt between a follower 19 and a cam 20 fixed ona cross-shaft 21 at theend of the The cam rotates in a clockwise direction so that the feeding bands 11 are moved during more than one-half of the revolutionofthe cam while the follower l9is travelling on the rising face XY of the cam, and remain stationary during the remainder of each revolution of the cam. The printing heads 13 are operated intermittently by the u sual cams 22 on cross-shafts 23 whose movements are synchronized with those of the cross-shaft 21 of the feeding mechanism by alongitudinal shaft 24which is connected with each of the cross-shafts by agearing of thesame gear ratio. The printing headsare held in raiscdfposition during the movement of the feeding bands 11 anddescend to apply paint from their painting blocks to the strip material on-the bed during the periods when the feedingbands 11 are stationary.

heads 13a is held up by means of blocks 25, so thatit is out ofcontactwith its cam, which may be removed. On the cross-beams 26 (Fig. 2) of this printing head are clamped two frames27 in which are journalled two cross-shafts 28, 29. On the frames 27 are pivots 30 to whicharesecuredthe upper ends of two arms 31 which depend between the cross-beams 26 through the space ordinarily V occupied bythe printing blocks,.which, in this case, are removed. The arms 31 contain slots 32 into which project crank pins 33 on discs 34 fixedon the ends of the shaft 29. The

lower ends ofthearms 31 haveapin and slot connectionwith the blocks 35 which are slidably mounted on rods 36 carried by frames 37 clamped to the cross-beams 26. To each of the blocks 35 is attached a brush 38, preferably in a position such that the separated sets of bristles 39 will rest on the strip of material on the bed in an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 2, and described in my Patent No. 1,854,524. In accordancewith my present invention, the blocks 35 serve also to support a number of turnable or rotatable brushes 50, which are preferably positioned'in advance of the brush 38. Relative longitudinal movement is maintained at all times between the brushes 50 and the brush 38 on the one hand, and the material on the other. The means by which such relative movement is obtained is set forth in detail in Patent No. 1,854,524 referred to 'abovel Summarized briefly, it is accomplished as follows:

The shaft 29 is driven from the cam-shaft 23a associated with the printing head 13a,

by a pair of gears 40 and 41, fixed on the shafts 29 and 28, respectively, and a pair of sprockets 42 and 43 fixed on the shaft 28 and its cam-shaft 23a and connected by a sprocket chain 44. The two gears and the two sprockets each have a one-to-one ratio, so that the rate of revolution of the shaft 29 is equal to that of the cross-shaft 23a and also that of the cross-shaft 21. By proper positioning of the parts when the sprocket chain 44 is applied, the crank pins 33 are placed in their uppermost positions when the middle point Z of the rising surface X-Y of the cam is in engagement with the follower 19. Since the shaft 29 and the cross-shaft 21 rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, the blocks 35 have a back andforth movement synchronized with the intermittent movement of the feeding band 11 and the strip of material carried thereby. The amplitude of the reciprocation of the block 35 is considerably less than the distance travelled by the material at each movement thereof, the latter being equal to the distance between successive printing heads. The blocks 35, are accordingly moved forward at a slower rate than that of the material during the forward movements of the material and since the material moves forward for more than onehalf the revolution of cam 20, as described above, the blocks 35 are moved back over the surface of the material during the periods when the material is at rest, and also during the moments when the material starts and stops its movement. The length of the arm 31, which is effective in rotating the disk 34, varies according to the position of the crank pin 33 in the slot 32. When the crank pin engages the upper end of the slot, the effective length of the arm 31 is shorter than when the crank pin is nearer the lower end of the slot 32. In this way the blocks 34 are given a relatively long rearward movement and a relatively short forward movement. The material is moved forward during. more than one-half of the revolution of the cross-shaft,

while the block 35 is moved backward during more than one half of each such revolution, thereby insuring backward travel of the blocks 35 during the moments when the material is starting and stopping. The uninterrupted relative movement between the brush 38 and the material produces the streaked effect without any marring blotches or marks, disclosed in my Patent No. 1,854,524.

By the provision of the rotary brushes described herein, the material is given a marblelike appearance. This result is a marked departure from the result obtained in my Patent No. 1,854,524, wherein the lines of demarcation between the different colors ran substantially parallel to the line of the strip.

Supported onthe cross-beam 26 of'the printing. head is the frame 49, in which is journalled the short shaft 48 supporting the gear 52' and the miter gear 53a. The gear 52 is actuated by the gear 51 positioned atthe extremity of shaft 28 which extends through the frame 49 as well as frame 27. The miter gear 53a engages the miter gear 53?) mounted 011 the top of the telescopic shaft 54 through which power is delivered to the rotary brushes in the manner hereinafter described. Adjacent each end the shaft 54 is provided with universal joints 57a and 57?) whereby a high degree of flexibility is given to said shaft.

The forward end of each of'the blocks 35 is bifurcated to receive a rotatable pinion 59 which is driven directly by the lower end of the shaft 54. Extending transversely across the printing machine between each pair of blocks 35 is a stringer or bifurcated member 58, in which is mounted a train of gears 55, actuated by the pinion 59. The brushes 50 are spaced at suitable distances beneath the stringer 5'8, and are driven by individual gears 55'through depending shafts 56 journalled vertically in the stringer 58. Because of the extensibility of the telescopic shaft 54 and the flexibility provided by the universal joints 57a and 57 b, rotary motion will be transmitted to the pinion 59 at all times during the reciprocatory movement of the blocks 35. Since the shaft 28 is continuously rotated in the same direction,'it will be readily seen that the brushes 55 will be continuously rotated" in the same direction through the miter gears 53a and 53?), the shaft 54,1;he

gears 55 anddepending shafts 56, and the direction of rotation of the brushes 50 will not be interrupted by changes in the direction of longitudinal movement of the blocks 35.

In Figs. 5 and 6, a modified form of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, a rack 60 is provided on the inside of the frames 37 and a pinion 61, adapted to engage and travel on the rack 60, is mounted on the rod 62 which in turn is fixed at its lower end to one of the gears 55. Since the rack is ward,the pinion will rotate in one direction and when the block is moving rearward the pinion will rotate in the opposite direction.

Thus each of the brushes will be rotated first in one. direction and then in the opposite direction through the intermediate action of the train of gears 55, the extent of rotation depending upon the length of travel ofthe pinion 61 on the rack 60.

In both ofthe embodiments of my invention disclosed herein, the surface of the material being treated 'will continuously be subjected to the spiral or rotary motion ofa plurality of brushes, thus giving a marblelike appearance to the material.

lVhat I claim is: i

1. The method of producingan ornamental surface on strip material, which comprises successively printing on successive lengths of material, paints of a plurality of colors, maintaining a brush in contact with each length of the strip shortly after the colors have been printed thereon and while the paint is still wet, turning said brush while the strip passes under it, maintaining a second brush incontact with the strip behind said turnable brush, and causing uninterrupted relative movement in the same direction between thesec- 0nd brush and the strip throughout the proc- 5. In a method of printing, the steps consisting in moving printed material forward step by step, moving a brush thereover, and maintaining uninterrupted relative spiral movement between the brush and the material.

6. I11 a method of printing, the steps comprising moving printed material forward in periods of movement alternating with periods of repose, and turning a brush applied to the material first one way and then the other about the vertical axis, the change in direction of the movement of the brush occurring during the period of movement of the material.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE PRIFOLD.

ess of printing and brushing the entires'trip. I

2. A method of producing an ornamental surface, which comprises successively printing on successive lengths of the strip material paints of a plurality of colors, maintaining a rotating brush in contact with each length of the strip shortly after the colors have been printed thereon while the paint is still wet, maintaining a second brush in contact with each length of the strip behind the rotating brush, and causing uninterrupted relative movement in the same direction between the second brush and the strip through-' out the entire operation of printing and brushing the entire strip.

ors have been printed thereon, and while the paint is still wet, causing an uninterrupted relative spiral movement between the brush and the strip throughout the operation of printing and brushing the entire strip. 

